BMW RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge Photos

June 24, 2009

JC survives the BMW RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge and after taking part in some brutal obstacle courses, he brings back an amazing story. Read the full story in the RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge.

We removed the mirrors for the Pit challenge.

This was steep!

The F800GS was a good match for the Pit where its narrow engine layout was far superior to BMW's traditional Boxer configuration.

Places to stand up and ride were scarce in the Pit.

The fastest team from Point A to Point B wins – the only problem is that everything between lies down a steep, rocky ravine with nothing more than a few wooden boards to span impassible gaps.

Before the rope was halfway up the hill to start with Joe, I was already forcing my way down the trail, bouncing off the sides and down dried rock waterfalls.

Riders struggled over obstacles with some of the heavier bikes which made the scoring adjustments an important factor.

Sitting in the shade and watching other teams come down was almost as much fun as riding it, and we witnessed skidplates and crash bars held on by a few bolt threads – some carried out by hand.

We paused for a break at one of the many camp sites along the route.

This road was filled with easy rollers that begged for long wheelies.

Miles of dusty roads and lonely highway are what adventure riding is all about.

Jim Hyde gave every rider a personal send-off to get the 2009 event underway.

BMW RawHyde Adventure Rider Challenge

The majority of the ARC event is spent on the scenic routes of the adventure course. This year had roughly 500 miles of paved and dirt roads.

The hot weather and the difficult terrain started to take a toll as the day wore on.